(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
They're not dead yet, folks.
The Flyers season looked dismal following the Stadium Series loss to Pittsburgh that held the Flyers at 63 points in the standings with very little progress being made over the previous weeks.
It was at that time that I wrote that it would be better if the Flyers missed the playoffs. And that may still be true. But there's one thing we didn't account for: the rest of the playoff hopefuls keeping the Flyers in the race.
You see, a team that only wins four games in the month of February probably doesn't deserve to be acknowledged as a contender for anything. It's usually then that the focus shifts to March 1, the trade deadline and selling off pending free agents for draft picks, not trying to turn a corner and make a late-season run.
But here we go again, the Flyers are going to drag you through this ride whether you like it or not.
Ron Hextall's trade deadline moves were simple. Adding one player to the NHL roster and removing a veteran for two picks. It's a move that favors both ends of the spectrum. If the Flyers make the playoffs, then the progress of moving the organization back into a contender continues. If they don't, they got a couple more picks out of the deadline, not to mention that player, Valtteri Filppula, has been a solid addition in his first three games.
But the difference is that in four games, the Flyers have made up some of the ground. They are playing at the same level that got them to the playoffs last season with a run to the finish. They have found a way to take these final 17 games and make them meaningful.
This is the closest they have come to the level of play they displayed on the 10-game winning streak that started to make you think this team was different, that it may not come down to the final weekend of the season. Now, after points in four straight games, the Flyers are at least in the fight.
It may be better for this team to miss the playoffs than make it, especially considering the impending doom that awaits them in the first round, but who doesn't want playoff hockey? Who doesn't want the chance to see if maybe something swings your way in a seven-game series that turns the tide and makes the unexpected happen?
17 games. That's what remains. The Flyers are three points out of a playoff spot. It's not insurmountable. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride to the finish, especially now that the Flyers have some life.
